Hold the Forevers

I plopped down onto a bench in front of the football field and sent my mom a text to let her know we were done. I didn’t have my own car. We couldn’t afford it since my older sister was in college and had to have one. But if I could return the ski clothes, then I might be back on track to buy a car for graduation.

I shivered in the chill as it got later and later and colder and colder. My mom hadn’t returned my text, and when I called, it went straight to voicemail. I huffed angrily. She must have forgotten to charge it again. She had said that she’d raised three other girls without cell phones and didn’t understand the big deal with me. Well, right now was the big deal.

The game was outside the city. Normally, I could walk anywhere around Savannah to get to where I was going, but it was too far to walk, and everyone was gone. Crap.

“Hey,” a voice said behind me.

I jumped up and found Ash standing before me.

It should have been impossible for him to be as hot as he was. Most of the guys I knew were tall and gangly and just getting used to their new almost-man body. But not Ash. He had the aristocratic air as if he always knew precisely where to belong and who he was. He towered over me as he approached with the build of someone who spent too much time in the gym. His dark hair was wet, making it appear nearly midnight black in the faint light with blue eyes so light in contrast that I could swim in them.

In short, there was a reason that every girl at St. Catherine’s wanted a piece of him.

“Uh, hey.”

He gestured to me. “Are you all right? Someone coming to get you?”

I glanced down at my phone and wanted to curse my mother. “My mom said she’d be here.”

“You live downtown, right? I’m going that way.”

I had no idea how he knew where I lived. I didn’t even think that he knew my name.

“Oh, uh, that’s okay. I’ll wait.”

He arched an eyebrow. “It’s too cold, and you can’t walk.”

Which was exactly what I’d been thinking, but my hackles rose regardless. “I can walk.”

“I see that you are capable. Well, if you don’t want a ride, I can wait with you until your mom shows up.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Delilah, but we’re the only ones left.”

“It’s Lila,” I said automatically.

I’d stopped correcting Shelly, who liked to sing that Plain White T’s song “Hey There Delilah” on repeat, but I still tried to get everyone to call me by my preferred name.

“Sorry, Lila,” he said, switching easily. “I thought everyone called you Delilah.”

“Shelly Thomas sings Delilah to me. It’s different.”

“That sounds like Shelly Thomas.”

Yeah, it did. Shelly was an acquired taste.

“So, shall we wait?” he asked gallantly. “I was raised not to leave beautiful girls alone at night.”

I rolled my eyes. “Beautiful girls?”

He quirked a half-smile. “What’ll it be? Wait or ride?”

A shiver shot through me as he rolled the word ride at me. As if he were thinking of something else entirely.

“Well, I was raised to not take rides from strangers.”

He laughed. “All right. That’s fair.” Then he stepped forward and offered me his hand. His fingers were warm—unbelievably warm—as I slid my frozen grip into his. “I’m Ash. Well, James Asheford Talmadge IV, but my dad is James, and, well, you can understand why I don’t go by Asheford.”

I could understand that. “Nice to meet you.”

“Look, now, we’re not strangers. Are you going to let me take you home?” He stared me down as if daring me to say no again.

But a twinge of worry had crept up in me, the longer I stood here. No text or call from my mom and no other way home. I really didn’t want to walk. Fuck.

“All right. Thanks.”

“Excellent.”

Then he headed toward the only car still in the massive parking lot. And of course, it was a Mercedes.

Ash pulled the passenger door open for me, letting me settle in before he got into the other side and turned the heat on full blast. He even had heated seats, which normally, I’d roll my eyes at but I was thankful for it tonight.

“Thanks for this,” I told him as we pulled away from the football field toward downtown.

“No problem. Seriously, I’m going that way.”

I checked my phone again. Still nothing from my mom. I sighed.

“So, anything special planned for break?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if he knew about my canceled plans. But why would Shelly tell him anyway?

“No,” I finally said. “I was supposed to go skiing with Shelly, but she had to cancel the whole trip. So, now, I’m not going.”

Ash was unusually silent for a few moments. I’d been expecting him to say something conciliatory, but he just looked … blank.